Display case door



1959 F. s. HOLDERLE ET L 2,872,266

DISPLAY CASE DOOR Filed March 11, 1957 9 FIG 3 v INVENTORS.

rnsasmcx snowsms BY mnvsranuowznus 4 ualVORBERTFMI-IOLDERLE a Z Z" v I THE/I? ATTORNEY United s. Patent DISPLAY CASE DOOR Frederick S. Holderle, Harvey C. R. Holderle, and Norbert F. W. Holderle, Rochester, N. Y.

Application March 11, 1957, Serial No. 645,052

2 Claims. (Cl. 312-138) This invention relates to a door for display cases of the type employed for housing candies, cakes and the like, and has for its purpose to afford a removable hinged door that can be quickly detached to facilitate cleaning the interior of the case.

A further object is to provide a hinged door that when in operating position is securely held and can be swung open to permit access to the interior of the case, and which can be easily removed when in closed position by a slight upward movement followed by an outward bodily movement of the bottom of the door.

An additional purpose is to provide a simple and practical structure that lends itself to economical manufacture, ready assembly, and efficient operation.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts that will appear clearly from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the novel features being pointed out in the claims following the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a display case, showing applied thereto a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction indicated;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on line 33 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction indicated, and

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction indicated.

Referring more particularly to the drawings in which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the several views, the display case includes in general a front display section 1, end display sections 2 which extend rearwardly beyond the front section 1, and a counter 3 between the rear parts of the end sections 2 and behind the front section 1.

Each of the rear portions of the end sections is provided with a door on its inner side adjacent to the counter 3, and in order to permit removal of the door for cleaning the interior of the case, the door is constructed and mounted in the following manner.

Each door includes a metal frame 4 for supporting a transparent or glass panel 5, and welded or otherwise fixedly attached to the frame 4, at one side is a rod 6 extending throughout the height of the door to a point somewhat above the top of frame 4 and a lesser distance below the bottom of said frame. The upper end of rod 6, when the door is in operating position, extends a slight distance into a bearing or bracket 7 which is fixed to a corner post 8, while the lower end of rod 6 extends a slight distance into an opening in the floor or base plate 9, when the door is in operating position. The bearing 7 is located above the door frame 4 a distance greater than the distance which the lower end of rod 6 projects into the base plate 9.

The rod 6 extends only slightly below the base plate 9 when the door is in operating position, and sufiiciently to hold the door in swinging position, and only slightly on the rod 6.

above the bottom of bearing 7, so that by lifting the door sufiiciently to clear the opening in the base plate 9, the lower end of the door can be moved bodily outwardly far enough to permit lowering the upper end of the door until it clears the bearing 7, and thus permits complete removal of the door.

10 designates a metal overhang spaced outwardly from the door and of such height that the door can swing outwardly under the overhang 10 when in operating position, but will strike the lower edge of the overhang and cannot be elevated when in such outward position, the door being elevated for removal only when in its closed position.

11 designates a spring latch engaging a stop 12 to hold the door closed, and the door when in operating position can be swung outwardly under the overhang 10, pivoting When closed, the door can be removed by lifting it until the lower end of the rod 6 clears the opening in the base plate 9 and then pulling the lower end of the door bodily outward until the upper end of rod 6 clears the bearing 7. To reposition the door, the rod 6 is first inserted at its upper end into bearing 7 and the lower end of the door then pushed into a vertical position to permit the lower end of rod 6 to drop into its opening or socket in the base plate 9.

While the invention has been described with reference to the structure herein disclosed, it is not confined to the particular details illustrated, and this application is intended to cover such changes or departures as may come within the purposes of the improvement or the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. In a display case including a front display section, end display sections which extend rearwardly from the ends of the front section, and a counter in rear of the front display section and between said end display sections, :1 door in each of said end display sections adjacent to said counter, each door including a rectangular metal frame of U-shaped cross-section, a transparent panel secured in said metal frame along all four edges, a vertical metal rod fixed to the outer surface and centrally of one side of said metal frame and extending above and below the top and bottom of said frame, a fixed bearing in which the upper end of said rod engages for turning, and a base plate having an opening which receives the lower end of said rod, said bearing being located above said frame a distance sufiicient to permit vertical movement of the door upwardly to enable the bottom of the rod to clear the opening in the base plate, said rod projecting into the base plate a slight distance less than the distance of said bearing above the door and suflicient to retain the door when in its lowermost position, the door being movable vertically to remove the lower end of the rod from said base plate and thence outwardly at its lower end and the door being engaged with surrounding walls when the supporting rod is in its lowermost position.

2. In a display case including a front display section, end display sections which extend rearwardly from the ends of the front section, and a counter in rear of the front display section and between said end display sections, a door in each of said end display sections adjacent to said counter, each door including a rectangular metal frame of U-shaped cross-section, a transparent panel secured in said metal frame along all four edges, 21 vertical metal rod fixed to the outer surface and centrally of one side of said metal frame and extending above and below the top and bottom of said frame, a fixed bearing in which the said upper end of said rod engages for turning, a base plate having an opening which receives the lower end of said rod, said bearing being located above said frame a distance sufficient to permit vertical movement of the door upwardly to enable the bottom of the rod to clear the opening in the base plate, said rod projecting into said base plate a slight distance less than the distance of said bearing above the door and sufiieient to retain the door when in its lowermost position, the door being movable vertically to remove the lower end of the rod from said base plate and thence outwardly at its lower end, a metal overhang in spaced parallel relation in front of the door, said metal overhang extending downwardly to a point slightly above the top edge of the door whereby the door may swing to open position only when the supporting rod is in its lowered position, the door engaging said overhang when swung outwardly while the supporting rod is in its upper position and being thus prevented from swinging outwardly except when the supporting jrod is in its lowermost position, the door being engaged with surrounding walls when the supporting rod is in its lowermost position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 639,668 Cox Dec. 19, 1899 339,639 Pulfer Dec. 25, 1906 1,322,596 Miano Nov. 25, 1919 1,836,911 Fitch Dec. 15, 1931 1,980,973 Alheit Nov. 20, 1934 2,617,219 Conley et a1 Nov. 11, 1952 

